Various services are provided via cables into our homes and businesses. Electricity, cable television and telephone connections are all provided via cable networks that are distributed both underground and above ground across utility poles. When one of these cables fails, time is of the essence in restoring service so that the public is not "out of service" for a long duration. For example, when a fiber optic telecommunications cable fails, millions of circuits are disrupted and hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost for each minute of outage.
Restoration of failed cables must take place in all types of environments, ranging from city streets to rural undeveloped land. In each of these situations, special equipment is needed to quickly get a temporary "restoration" cable in place until a permanent fix can be made. In a city environment, there may often be a need to string a restoration cable across busy intersections and streets, interrupting the flow of traffic (since a bucket truck or large ladder is required to secure the cable). In any environment, the time required for a bucket truck or ladder to arrive at the scene will inevitably add delay to the restoration process.
Thus, a need remains for a quick and efficient method of securing a temporary restoration cable to a utility pole.